Automotive bus



Sept. 11, 1928. 1,684,303

7 R. w. BAILEY AUT OMOT I VE BUS Filed July 24, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 11, 1928. 1,684,303

R. w. BAILEY AUTOMOTIVE BUS Filed July 24, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 11, 1928.

UNITED STATES i,ttd,303 ATENT FFHCE.

RUFUS W. BAILEY, OFKANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

AUTOMOTIVE BUS.

Original application filed December 15. 1924, Serial No. 755,901. Divided and this application filed July 24,

This invention relates to passenger vehicles, and with regard to certain more specific features, to motor coaches or busses for use on highways and/or metropolitan thoroughfare.

This application is a division of my patent application Serial No. 7 55,901, filed December 15, 192 1.

Among the several objects of the invention may be noted the provision of a motor coach involving in its normal operation only oneway passenger traffic on its lower deck; a double decked coach with a door in the passage between decks and one which is particularly safe in operation under all exigencies of heavy and fast traffic. Other objects will appear in part' and will be in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the fcaturesof construction, elements and combinations of elements, and arrangements of parts which are exemplified in the structure hereinafter described, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claim.

In the accompanying drawings, in which is shown one of various possible embodiments of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the motor coach Fig. 2 is a ground plan view of the upper deck and stairway;

Fig. 3 is a ground plan of the lower deck; and n Fig. 4 is a rear elevation of the coach show ing parts broken away.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Declcawangement.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 1 to 3 there is illustrated at 1 a motor coach comprising an enclosed lower deck 3 and an open upper deck 5.

The lower deck 8 is provided forwardly thereof with a set of doors 7 to be used as an entrance to the coach. A fare box F is provided near the driver so that passengers may here deposit their fares, should it be desired to operate the coach with one man, namely, the driver thereof.

Rearwardly on said deck is provided a set of doors 9 to be used as an exit only, under normal conditions as will be described later.

'ter the former and leave the latter.

Serial No. 45,772.

The sets of doors 7 and 9 are on the right side of the coach. The doors"? and '9 are operable to opened and closed positions by way of various valves, air lines and linkages wh1ch it is not necessary to describein detail in this application. It should be noted howi ever that by means of handles 39 of a compound valve D, the driver of the coach may open or close either or both the front or rear doors 7 and 9 when passengers desire to en- 5 A valve G at the inside rear of the coach is provided for the use of a conductor when one is employed and by operation of the valve C said conductor opens and closes the rear door when passengers desire to leave or enter.

A valve S located at the outside rear of the coach is provided for the use ofa street fare collector when one is employed, and by operation of the valv'e S said collector, 7 opens and closes the rear door when passengers wish to enter only. Under normal conditions all passengers enter the front door and leave by the rear door and hence there is substantially only one-way traflic on the low- .er deck. g

No passenger is ever permitted to pass out of the front door so that even though the conductor or collector permit ingress of passengers at the .rear door under stress of certain circumstances, yet the whole lower aisle will never be given over to two way traffic. The lower aisle is longitudinally and centrally located. V

Opposite the rear doors 9 on the left/side of the coach, (see Figs. 2, 3 and d) is located a stairway leading fromthe closed lower to the open upper deck. This stairway cornprises a penthouse 11 under which are located step 12 and step-platform 13. The penthouse is in continuous open communication with the lower deck and its entrance is substantially opposite and facing the deck exit. The step'pl'atform 13 comprises a raised floor for the penthouse. Rearwardly in said penthouse 11 is placed a self closing door 15 swinging forwardly on a. center near the left .wall of the coach. Outside of the penthouse and rearwardly thereof is the step 17 leading upwardly and to the rear of the coach. I The step 17 leads directly to another step-platform 19 in the left rear corner of the coach. The platform 19 serves to direct a passenger toward the right side of the coach and up onthe step 21.. From here a third step-platform 23 is reached which serves to direct a pas- 'senger toward the central aisle of the, upper deck. However another step must be used to reach said aisle. Passengers faceiforwardly as they enter said central aisle. p

The ascent from the lower deck ismade in eight steps as follows:

fTwo, step-platform 13 (open door, turn let Tlgre'e, step'17 (out of penthouse and lower deck Four, step-platform 19 (turn left);

Five, step 21;

Six, step-platform 23 (turn left to front of coach) Seven, step 25;

Eight, upper deck 5 (to seat).

Thus a, passenger, by means of a winding staircase passes expeditiously from the lower to the upper deck, the door 15 closing behind him. The door prevents stray air currents from entering the enclosed lower deck and the partially enclosed stairway outside of the penthouse serves to lend safe passage to a passenger when the coach accelerates or decelerates; as well asto prevent wind from enteringthe door 15 when it is open.

Passengers'leave the upper deckby means of the stairs just described. It will be noted that there is no open rear platform on this coach. Shoul'da passenger stumble on the enclosed stairs-he will not be precipitated to thestr'eet from the bottom of the stairs.

Also, the inclosed'portion beneath the stairs (see F igs. 3 and 4) serves to conserve space inasmuch as the conductor may occupy part of this space; He does'soin the warmth of the lower deck and hence can perform his duties to betteradvantage than if he were on a cold platform. To put the conductor within the coachfor the sake of his comfort in the ordinary coach, would take up too much space which might otherwise be given over to seating passengers. Hence it is clear that the present arrangement turns a dangerous, almost useless open rear platform to a comfortable space for the operations of a con ductorand atthe same time diminishesthe chances for drafts entering the lower deck.

' Furthermore a passengerseat such as that indicated at 40 may be put under the stairs. Hence the capacit' of the coach is increased.

It should also e noted that the capacity of the coach is furtherincreased by the fact that in going to the upper deck the stairs do not occupy the full width of the coach. Hence another seat 42 on the upper deck may beadded atthe rightrear of the coach.

The penthouse encloses the swinging door. It breaks the sweep of air into the coach and by surrounding the various positions ofthe swin ing doorprevents passengers from getting liehind it and preventing the operation thereof such as if it were in the open.

Y Attention is again called to the fact that under normal operating conditions all passengers enter the lower deck at the front doors 7, and in choosing a seat, pass rearwardly on the lower deck. Upon leaving,

they pass rearwardly to the rear doors thus obviating the necessity for any forward traffic in the aisle of the lower deck; that is, this is a one-way aisle. The advantages of such a condition are clear.

Open positions of the doors 7 and" 9 are shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3 and an open position of the door 15 in Fig. 2.

From the above it will be seen that the several objects of the invention areattained and other advantageous results achieved.

As many modifications of the embodiments above illustrated might be made without departing from the spirit or scope of'the present ing door therein, a winding staircase lead ing from the penthouse exit to said central aisle of said upper deck adapted tolead pas-- sengcrs'to said upper deck, said passengers facing forwardly into said upper aisle as said passengers take their final step on said upper deck.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification this" 21st day of July, 1925. a

RUFUS w. BAILEY.- 

